Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" So they took away the stone.
From John 11:32-33
The great feast of All Saints which we celebrate this Sunday is a powerful reminder that we walk in faith not alone, but in the company of the great cloud of witnesses who have gone before us. We remember, by name, those we have lost from our parish this past year on Sunday, but it is also a time to remember the witness of those we know and those we have never met who undergird our own faith lives.
This lectionary cycle gifts us with the raising of Lazarus from the gospel of John. We know he will be raised, but the story is far more complex than that. There is so much liminal space that is contained within the twists and turns of this short story. Mary had hoped Jesus would arrive before her brother Lazarus died. By the time Jesus is on the scene, she fears all is lost. But even the raising of Lazarus is not the end of the story. When he comes forth from the grave he is still bound by his burial clothes. He cannot unbind himself—that will be the job of the gathered community.
So, what do we take from this? Especially as we look to All Saints Day? One hope I pray we take is that community is both seen and unseen. We are supported and guided by prayers we will never know about, and we can never fully apprehend what is coming to life. We may fear the end when there is much still to come. We may be the ones who are bound up with fear and confusion and need the help of those around to become unbound.
In recent weeks, I heard, from all sides of the political spectrum, much fear, anxiety, and dread around the upcoming election. And while election day is next Tuesday, polling suggests we may not know the outcome for some time past next week. How are we meant to respond as people of faith? I have two thoughts for you to ponder.
First, we are grounded in a particular time and space. Voting and participating in the election is an important responsibility and we do not imagine our faith and beliefs are separate from our civic responsibility. Second, as people of faith there is no outcome that removes us from a faith community with people of different persuasions. Our unity comes from Jesus Christ. And the vision of the communion of saints praying alongside us, for our unity, for our well-being, is deeply comforting to me. Not because it takes away the real uncertainty at hand, but because it expands the community - or communion - we draw from. We have values that we commit to in our baptismal covenant, and they are meant to guide our actions. And we always make these vows by responding, “I will, with God’s help.”
This prayer from Forward Movement is one I am using a lot lately. I hope it is helpful to you as well:
“Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart and especially the hearts of the people of this land, that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease, that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Peace, Beth +